Typical prior art golf club shafts are designed having a butt section, and a tip section interconnected by a tapered section, wherein the butt section has a larger outer diameter than the tip section. The butt and tip sections typically have a constant outer diameters throughout their length. The outer diameter is reduced between the butt section and the tip section by utilizing a step forming operation whereby a series of relatively steep step portions are introduced into the shaft tapered section along the length thereof. The diameter of the step portions become progressively smaller toward the tip end. Adjacent step portions are separated by narrow transitional areas having a stepdown angle of 8° when measured with respect to the longitudinal axis running through the shaft from the tip section to the butt section. However, it has been found that the use of the steep transitional portion angles result in several undesirable disadvantages, including creating a stress concentration area along the circumferential axis of the shaft at the transition area and a discontinuous stiffness along the length of the shaft. Accordingly, the shaft must be made relatively thick and heavy to overcome the stress concentration.
It is generally known that an ideal golf club shaft should be of a minimal weight while concurrently being of a sufficient durability and stiffness to effectively allow all of the kinetic energy developed by the golfer to be transmitted to the golf ball. Heretofore, steel, or other metal, or non-graphite golf club shafts have been produced that are 95 grams or greater at traditional lengths of 40 and 41 inches or on average 2.38 and 2.32 grams/inch, respectively. In the prior art weight range, the average golfer cannot generate enough club head speed to produce much shaft flexing during the swing. Consequently, the average golfer cannot develop a proper feel for his clubs.